Creativity in Clinton, Missouri

By Patricia Zahn, Associate Director, Missouri Humanities Council
March 24, 2007

It was a beautiful, warm, early spring evening that welcomed almost a hundred visitors to the Henry County Museum & Historical Society for the opening of Between Fences from the Smithsonian last Saturday night.  "Greeters" were there at the entrance, handing each visitor a postcard-sized image of a fencing scene that could be found somewhere in the exhibition.  The idea was to find "your fence." I saw people help each other find the images and talk about the scenes in the display.

The most important part of a touring Smithsonian exhibition is what local people do to "add value." What a thrill it was to see how much interest had been added by people of all ages in Clinton. I saw photos of local fences and gates, maps of the area depicting boundary lines, an extensive barbed wire collection, and a sampling of tools used to construct fences in Henry county.

Most interesting to me was the use of picket fencing sections as a symbol of the exhibit's theme. The image of neighborhood fences below appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post on May 18, 1957. It's one of several images assembled by the Smithsonian to publicize "Between Fences."

"Spring Yard Work" by Thornton Utz. (c) 1957 SEPS: Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN

The people at the Henry County museum displayed sections of picket fencing not only inside the museum, but outside along the walls welcoming visitors, and in the shop windows all around the town square. Over a thousand pickets decorated by local elementary, middle and high school children made up the displays throughout the community, connecting individual ideas and interests to the exhibition. 

Several pickets showcased the mascots of local schools.  Others were artistic expressions of feelings, current issues and interests.  Some were abstract works; others depicted real objects.  Several were self-portraits. 

Photographed by Alta Dulaban

In some cases, students worked together to create a fence section.  Three readily come to mind.  One was of a bulldog, with a warning sign to “keep out” in case the vicious-looking dog did not make that clear.  Another was a section made up of only two pickets.  It had symbols of the American flag bordering the top and bottom of each picket, with a gray area in between dotted with lights that appeared to be windows.  The statement of purpose displayed below the section referred to it as the Twin Towers, explaining why the students chose this image.

We painted the American flag with the Twin Towers because we wanted it to represent the people that we lost in the 911.  And the American flag represent that we still stand strong.
~ J. Gann and K. Packard - Windsor, M0  High School

I was moved by the depth of their reflection and struck by the fact that the events of September 11, 2001 had such an effect on these young people (who couldn’t have been more than 10 or 12 years-old at the time), and  that they continue to be a part of their experience.  Another statement of purpose explained that, like fence pickets, when we are united together there is strength that is not present when we stand alone.

The third community display was a fence section comprised of 100 pickets assembled in 5 picket sections stretching several yards.  It was designed by the students at Holy Rosary School,   It shows several images of ethnically diverse children standing side-by-side with their arms outstretched. When lined up it looks like they are holding hands. — and they’re all smiling!  Beside the display is the following poem by Maya Angelou.

Love recognizes no barriers.
It jumps hurdles, leaps fences,
penetrates walls
to arrive at its destination
full of hope.

I enjoyed taking the time to walk around the square and the museum to look at the pickets.  I was glad to see that so many people had taken interest in the project and participated in creating the displays, sharing their time and talents. And, I was amazed at how something so simple—a bare wood picket—served as a creative outlet allowing people to express themselves and giving us all an opportunity to see how we are connected to one another in our experiences, thoughts and dreams.